Lion resets my wallpaper to default "galaxy" pic after every restart

I'm seeing this as well. I've got my wallpaper pointed to a folder of aliases. Never had an issue with this on Snow Leopard. Now it randomly (seen it break anywhere from ~30 seconds after fix to 1 hour after) switches back to the galaxy off my rotating wallpaper. I can't find any reference of it in the console logs. The plist file for com.apple.desktop.plist looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

<plist version="1.0">

<dict>

<key>Background</key>

<dict>

<key>0</key>

<dict>

<key>DSKDesktopPrefPane</key>

<dict>

<key>UserFolderPaths</key>

<array>

<string>/Volumes/Data/Users/<user>/Pictures/Wallpapers in Use</string>

</array>

</dict>

</dict>

<key>69678016</key>

<dict>

<key>BackgroundColor</key>

<array>

<real>0.25490197539329529</real>

<real>0.4117647111415863</real>

<real>0.66666668653488159</real>

</array>

<key>Change</key>

<string>TimeInterval</string>

<key>ChangePath</key>

<string>/Volumes/Data/Users/<user>/Pictures/Wallpapers in Use</string>

<key>ChangeTime</key>

<real>5</real>

<key>DSKDesktopPrefPane</key>

<dict>

<key>UserFolderPaths</key>

<array>

<string>/Volumes/Data/Users/<user>/Pictures/Wallpapers in Use</string>

</array>

</dict>

<key>DrawBackgroundColor</key>

<true/>

<key>ImageFileAlias</key>

<data>

AAAAAAEGAAMAAAAAynzHDAAASCsAAAAAAAouRwAKLkkAAMmXSIIA

AAAACQD//gAAAAAAAAAA/////wABABQACi5HAAlzQQAZEK8AGQ/i

AAAAbQAOAD4AHgAxADIAMAA3ADcAMgA1ADEAMgA5AC4AcwBlAGwA

awBlAHIAXwBkAHIAXwBnAGYAdAAwADEALgBqAHAAZwAPAAoABABE

AGEAdABhABIAQy9Vc2Vycy9uZXZhci9QaWN0dXJlcy9BcnRpc3Rz

L3NlbGtlci8xMjA3NzI1MTI5LnNlbGtlcl9kcl9nZnQwMS5qcGcA

ABMADS9Wb2x1bWVzL0RhdGEAABUAAgAZ//8AAA==

</data>

<key>ImageFilePath</key>

<string>/Volumes/Data/Users/<user>/Pictures/Artists/<artist>/ima ge.jpg</string>

<key>LastName</key>

<string>wallpaper-311022.jpg</string>

<key>NewChangePath</key>

<string>~/Pictures/Wallpapers in Use</string>

<key>NewImageFilePath</key>

<string>~/Pictures/Artists/<artist>/image.jpg</string>

<key>NoImage</key>

<false/>

<key>Placement</key>

<string>SizeToFit</string>

<key>Random</key>

<true/>

</dict>

<key>default</key>

<dict>

<key>BackgroundColor</key>

<array>

<real>0.25490197539329529</real>

<real>0.4117647111415863</real>

<real>0.66666668653488159</real>

</array>

<key>Change</key>

<string>TimeInterval</string>

<key>ChangePath</key>

<string>/Volumes/Data/Users/<user>/Pictures/Wallpapers in Use</string>

<key>ChangeTime</key>

<real>5</real>

<key>DSKDesktopPrefPane</key>

<dict>

<key>UserFolderPaths</key>

<array>

<string>/Volumes/Data/Users/<user>/Pictures/Wallpapers in Use</string>

</array>

</dict>

<key>DrawBackgroundColor</key>

<true/>

<key>ImageFileAlias</key>

<data>

AAAAAAEGAAMAAAAAynzHDAAASCsAAAAAAAouRwAKLkkAAMmXSIIA

AAAACQD//gAAAAAAAAAA/////wABABQACi5HAAlzQQAZEK8AGQ/i

AAAAbQAOAD4AHgAxADIAMAA3ADcAMgA1ADEAMgA5AC4AcwBlAGwA

awBlAHIAXwBkAHIAXwBnAGYAdAAwADEALgBqAHAAZwAPAAoABABE

AGEAdABhABIAQy9Vc2Vycy9uZXZhci9QaWN0dXJlcy9BcnRpc3Rz

L3NlbGtlci8xMjA3NzI1MTI5LnNlbGtlcl9kcl9nZnQwMS5qcGcA

ABMADS9Wb2x1bWVzL0RhdGEAABUAAgAZ//8AAA==

</data>

<key>ImageFilePath</key>

<string>/Volumes/Data/Users/<user>/Pictures/Artists/<artist>/ima ge.jpg</string>

<key>LastName</key>

<string>wallpaper-311022.jpg</string>

<key>NewChangePath</key>

<string>~/Pictures/Wallpapers in Use</string>

<key>NewImageFilePath</key>

<string>~/Pictures/Artists/<artist>/image.jpg</string>

<key>NoImage</key>

<false/>

<key>Placement</key>

<string>SizeToFit</string>

<key>Random</key>

<true/>

</dict>

</dict>

</dict>

</plist>

Hi,

I've got a similar problem but this only started a few weeks after upgrading to Lion. My desktop now reverts to a previous image I had set nearly a month ago. I can set a new pic but each time I re-start it reverts to the same picture Not the Galaxy pic.

I've also noticed that my settings are also reverting so each time I restart my machine, the windows from a previous session are restored. Annoyingly they are not the windows from my last session but a session from a few months back. I have tried unchecking the tick box but this has turned out to be futile as the check box reverts to being checked too!

Please help!

I have the exact same problem. Started the same day I got my MacMini. Reinstalled Lion without any success 😟 SMB seems to be broken too

Here is how I fixed. I assumed that the issue is iPhoto takes to long to start or "mount" (as in my case using disk utility).

I dragged the picture I wanted to use from the iPhoto event to the desktop, renamed it and dragged it into a shared folder in finder.

Then I selected that picture using the + icon under System Preferences>Desktop and Screensavers.

Tried it a few times and it works after every restart.

I have the same problem. I don't use iPhoto, and the desktop image is at the top level of my User > Pictures folder. The interesting thing is, when I open System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver, the correct image appears in the desktop pattern preview (even though the Galaxy image is on the desktop). I have to select another image and then reselect the desktop image to get it to appear. It's not a big deal, but it seems I have to restart my computer a lot more often since switching to Lion.

I switched to Lion today from Snow Leopard, and had this problem too. My issues occur if I put a smart album from iPhoto as backdrop on more than one screen.

What happens is that the system creates a temp directory full of aliases to the required images in ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.preference.desktopscreeneffect.desktop/

The system then goes through these images one by one as the timer requires it to switch between images.

The problem comes if you then go a second desktop, and create another set of backdrops from a different smart album in iPhoto. This destroys the first set of image-linked aliases, and mean that the orignal backdrops no longer know which image is the next one to go to in line.

The default, if they don't know the image to go to next, is to go to the "Andromeda Galaxy" jpg file. So that's what they do.

It looks to me like this hasn't been tested on a user using two different smart albums from iPhoto to cycle through several different backdrops. If you make all the backdrops cycle through a single set of photos you won't see them problem (at least, I haven't yet).

It shouldn't be hard to fix, but maybe Apple have to be aware of the problem first.

1. I don't use alias

2. I don't use iphoto

3. I have photos in a folder in my personal folder

4. Sometimes it reverts daily other times weekly and this time it took a month...all with many reboots in it.

None of these comments or solutions work for me.

Good job Apple on breaking about the simplest thing a OS can do!

I had the same problem and it seems fixed now.

I deleted the com.apple.desktop.plist and com.apple.desktop.plist.lockfile in the /Users/USERNAME/Library/Preferences folder.

Then I selected my startup volume new and restarted.

I had the same problem, and Its really terrible for me and bring,

I got a solution for this problem:

1- Open Termina app

2- Type Killall Dock

3- hit return

4- Now your desktops wallpaper back again

You need to run this command every login time, by other way you can create a script using this simple command and add it in your login items to me automated.

But still not satisfied 😟

Any Guide how to fix it? We got the same issues

Hi

This is what I did. It has worked for me and I've had no issues

In documents I created a folder called desk. In there I put the image I wanted to use and selected it in preferences.

Providing that this image always remains there and is not deleted it works and doesn't revert back to the galaxy.

Hope this works for others!

I was do that, put my folder images on Pictures Folder than I setup it and when I restart my Wallpaper changed to the default again.

Thanks Jim! Your suggestion worked for me as well. I had my desktop wallpaper in my Documents folder already, but I had it on an EXTERNAL hard drive (where I keep all of my documents).

I moved that folder, named "WALLPAPER", to my STARTUP DISK and put it in the Documents folder as suggested by Jim. I kept the name "WALLPAPER" for the folder. I then selected this folder in the Desktop & Screen Saver preferences (click the "+" icon) and selected my custom wallpaper. When I restarted, it did not default! Nice!!

So, I guess my addition to the string would be "make sure the folder containing your desktop image is on your start-up disk." It doesn't seem to matter what you name the folder: "desk", "WALLPAPER", "Whatever".

This is a similar solution to others in this string:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3196420?start=15&tstart=0

Frustrated with Mac Lion OS nonetheless.

Is this fixed in Mountain Lion and will this be fixed at all in say 10.7.5? I got my first Macbook a week ago today and am getting frustrated with this OS being so buggy. I was lied to and told Mac's were superior because they don't have stupid issues that Windows has, which is untrue. It seems way more out of whack compared to Windows.